Lilburn Wesche, former NNU professor, Boise: I'm here for my grandchildren. I don't want surgery done on me by the graduate of an online medical school. I've yet to see a clicker comfort a troubled teen. My grandkids in Meridian have classes of 30 to 40 people and said just four of their 100 teachers were bad. Teachers deserve respect, and proposals would discourage people from teaching in Idaho.
Carol Wallace, Lewiston community service coordinator: Serves more than 400 kids in poverty, as well as their parents.Can't tell all their stories in three minutes. The best way to move out of poverty is education, including a relationship with one caring adult. Often in these families, this is the child's teacher.
Brian Potter, Potlatch parent and English teacher: We are hearing education will be student centered, but Idaho has no money. His son couldn't apply to top schools like Stanford because many top colleges don't accept online foreign language classes. He also had to take PE online. Is attrition of 1,100 education jobs good for Idaho's economy? My children cannot risk even one year of ineffective education.
Penni Cyr, Moscow educator: I don't believe it's the taxpayers' job to provide personal technology for our children. Online classes are important, but they should remain a choice. Many students say they take online classes because they are easier, and that their classroom teachers are more demanding. Online course requirement will direct students away from their community schools and eliminate local jobs. Some Idaho educators earn less than poverty level. Quoted Diane Ravitch in saying that it's a “certain kind of madness in thinking that (someone) who never set foot in a classroom can create a statistical measure to tell us how best to educate children.”
